Improvement in oil-tanks



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY F. SNYDER AND GEORGE S. SANYDER, OF WILLIAMSPORT, AND AUTES SNYDER, OF FREEPORT, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN OIL-TANKS.

Specieation forming part of Letters Patent No. 116,366, dated .I une 27, 1871.

To all whom 'it may concern.-

Beit known that we, HENRY F. SNYDER and GEORGE S. SNYDER, of Williamsport, Lycoming county, and AUTES SNYDER, of Freeport, Armstrong county, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oil-Tanks and their appurtenances.

Our tank is adapted to be carried Von and to forni a part of a railroad car for the transportation of petroleum. It may be used for analogous purposes, if desired. The invention relates to provisions at the top, whereby the shaft, which operates a valve at the base, is extended up through an elongated neck, which extends up above the top of the tank. This allows access to the shaft for operatin g the valve without spill ing the oil when the tank is overiilled or stands in an inclined position, or is, from rapid motion or any other cause, liable' to have the oil, either permanentlyT .or4 at intervals, tend to rise above the top of the tank. The invention also relates to extending the base of such neck or narrow inclosing-case downward from the o rice in the top of the tank, so as to better prevent evaporation or escape of vapor when the tank is only partiallyr filled. It also relates to provisions on the valve for better taking hold of the shaft or operatin g stein.

The following is a description of what we consider the best means of carrying out the invention:

The accompanying drawing forms a part of this specification. The tank is represented as cylindrical, but only the upper and lower portions are shown.

In the drawing, Figure l is a vertical transverse section, partly in elevation. It shows the novel parts with so much of vthe ordinary parts as is necessary to indicate their relations thereto. Figs. 2 and 3 represent details detached. Fig. 3 shows them in condition for introducing the steam. v

A A are portions of the boiler-iron which forms the body of the tank. B is the casting, which, with its cap C and proper adjuncts, is shown projecting from the lower side of the tank, and is ready to discharge the oil either directly or through-holes, (not represented,) when required.

It contains a seat for the valve, which seat is a little below the section, as will be understood. D is the body of the valve. A portion is conical, to match the conical seat. Above this it is cylindrical, and below this it is winged, to guide the valve truly to its seat. It is hollow in its interior, to allow the threaded operating stem to extend downward and press down on a point near the lower extremity of the valve. The lower portion of the operating screw is smaller than above, and is formed into a left-hand screw. Above this the larger portion is formed into a right hand screw. The lower-the left hand screwis within the valve. The upper-the righthand screw-takes in a stout strap or yoke, B', which is xed rmly on the casing A. I will designate the entire operating shaft by the single letter M, and will designate the several parts thereof M1, M2, Ste.' The left-hand thread is M1 and the right-hand thread M2.- v Sofar there is nothing novel. The left-hand thread M1 works in a long nut, P, having two collars-the collar P1 at the top and the collar P2 at the bottom. The interval between these collars is thicker than the corresponding portion of the valve which is received between them, so as to Vallow an amount of play. The lower collar P2 raises the valve. By operatin g the shaft M in the opposite direction the nut P is lowered until the valve D is prevented from descending further by resting on its seat. The continued descent of the shaft M with the nut P causes the point of the shaft M to bear fairly on its proper bearing in the interior of the base of the valve'before the upper collar P1 bears on the valve. The upper collar P1 performs, therefore, no function in pressing the valve down to the seat. It, or the upper end of the nut P to which it belongs, performs animportant function by preventing the valve from being lifted too high. When the operator at the top, in ignorance of the exact position of the valve, turns the shaft M to raise it to such a height as would induce any damage, the upper end of the long nut P strikes the yoke B and firmly arrests it. This prevents what might otherwise be a serious injury from striking the yoke B with the bolts d, which .perform important duties. There are three or other sufficient number of the bolts d. They pass through two peculiar rings or collars, D1 and D2, which form the top of the valve D. These rings D1 D2 have each a large hole, large enough to allow the passage of the collar P2; but when they are properly in position they embrace the body of the nut P, as represented, so that the collar P2, in raising the valve, bears a portion of the weight on one part, D1, and another portion of the weight on another part, D2. The parts D1 D2, which I will call valvetops, may be exactly alike, formed from the same pattern. The hole in each is compound, and may be described as beingmade as follows: First, make a small hole, x, exactly in the center of each part D1 D2, and of a diameter very little greater than the diameter of the body ofthe nut P. Then make eccentrieally to this a larger hole, X, avery little larger than the collar P2. It will be seen that these holes partly coincide. The form is very clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3. One face of each part D1 D2 is plane; the other face contains a large nearly crescent-formed projection placed eccentrically thereiu,and adapted to match into the eccentric hole X in the opposite part of the collar-that is to say, the eccentric proj ection Y1 on the part D1 fits into the eccentric hole X in the part D2, and the eccentric projection Y2 on the part D2 tits into the eccentric hole X in the part D1. Laying the rings or parts D1 D2 upon each other and slipping the upper one to a. proper extent sidewise upon the lower to bring the large eccentric holes in line, the collar P2 ofthe nut l is easily passed through. Then, after this is effected, the parts D1 D2 are moved back into their proper superposition upon each other. This brings the eccentric holes X out of line with each other, and (either directly or by turning the parts a little) brings the eccentric projection on the 011e opposite to the eccentric hole on its mate. In this position they will drop into each other so as to present much less thickness. This is done, and the body D ofthe valve being now presented in the proper position andthe bolts d inserted, a connection is formed, which is strong and presents a perfect bearing for the work. It is easily made with ordinary tools, and requires no great skill or labor to properly construct itand to put it together and take it apart as often as may be desired. We can and for some reasons prefer to make the lower ring or collar D1 in one piece with the main body D of the valve. The provisions for notching together are in such ea-se exactly the same as above described, only the part D1 being put on the valve D the structure is stronger and firmer. Above the screw-thread M2 the main body of the shaft may be contracted. W'e prefer that it be a little larger within the tube T2 than below it. The head M3, when inits most elevated position, stands some eighteen inches, more or less, above the top of the tank A. T T1, &c., is a casting surrounding the hole in the top of the tank, reaching upward by a part, T1, and downward by a part, T2. The part T1 carries a cap, U, with suitable provisions for tightly securing packing, &c., to prevent a leakage of vapor and the intermeddling of improper persons. Such caps have been long known, and may be of any approved or suitable construction. The elevation ofthe neck T1 above the top of the tank is importantfor the reasons intimated above.

The tank is liable to be iilled quite to the top and a little more, so as to stand a little above the level of the tank in the neck T1; or, if the tank is only moderately filled, and the valve with its shaft M1 and appurtenances is placed near either end, the car is liable when standing on an incline, or from various causes, to be presented in positions where the valved end of the tank shall be so much lower than the other end that the removal of the cap U would cause an overflow of oil if the neck T1 did not thus extend up. This allows the level of the oil to be inspected. The extension ofthe neck T2 downward into the tank so as to nearly touch the yoke B is important under a different class of circumstances. When the tank A is only partly filled the space above its surface becomes strongly impregnated with vapor. Now when, under such circumstances, the cap U is removed to allow access to operate the shaft M, the vapor, by iiowing out through the considerable space around the shaftM, causes annoyance and may induce contlagrations, and when the vapor in the tank is mingled with aii` in certain proportions may cause destructive explosions. We esteem it important under these and all conditions to isolate the air-space above the level ofthe oil as much as possible from all communication with the outside air. The neck T2, extending down from the casting T, effects this end completely. Then oil is withdrawn air can enter and take its place by descending through the neck T2 and bubbling up from the open lower end of theneck T2 to the surface. Vhen the tank is being filled with oil there is liberal space for the air to escape through other means, and we can, if desired in any ease, provide other vents to admit air to allow the oil to escape more freely when being withdrawn. Thus the neck T2 induces no serious dificulties, and it performs the highly-important function of completely cutting oit' communication between the air and vapor in the body of the tank, and the shaft M and its inclosing casing, and, consequently, with the external atmosphere. The provision T2 is of some importance all the time if the top cap U does not tit perfectly tight. In such case, instead ofthe constant leakage of vapor byits flowing from the entire tank, the only vapor leaked is the very small amount generated from the limited surface within the neck T2. Although the screw-threads are shown as V-shaped they maybe square, and we prefer to so have them for some reasons.

We claim as our inventionl. The neck T1 extending above the tank A and inclosing the shaft M, which operates the valve D, as and for the purposes specified.

2. The neck T2 extending down into the tank herein specied.

A, around the shaft M, and arranged relatively In testimony whereof we have hereunto set thereto and to the valve D, as and for the purour names in presence of two subscribing witposes speciied. nesses.

3. The matched valve-tops D1 D2, each having Y H. F. SNYDER. a concentric and eccentric hole partly coinciding, Gr. S. SNY DER. and each having an eccentric crescent-like pro- AUTES SNYDER. jection adapted to match into the eccentric hole Witnesses: in the other, and be applied upon and. be removed T. C. ROGERS, from the collared nut P P1 P2 and valve D, as HENRY D. HEISER,

J. W. MCKEE. 

